Earlier in the day, Lee lost in the quarterfinals to Ahmad Abughaush of Jordan 11-8. The South Korean moved into the repechage stage when Abughaush reached the final.

Lee, who won the 2012 silver in the -58kg, needed to win two matches to claim one of the two bronze medals at stake. He beat Ghofran Ahmed of Egypt 14-6 in the first contest and then Achab for his second Olympic medal.

He became the first South Korean man to win taekwondo medals in back-to-back Olympics, and the first South Korean, male or female, to win taekwondo medals in two straight Olympics in different weight classes.

Achab took a 3-0 lead with a strong kick near the end of the first round, but Lee tied the score early in the next round. Lee went up 4-3 with 1:30 left in the second, only to allow the Belgian to tie the score at 4-4.

Lee was trailing 5-4 with 25 seconds left in the final period when he picked up three points with a kick to Achab's face.

With Achab desperate to get points, Lee again saw enough of an opening for another three-point kick.

Lee appeared to injure his left knee on the earlier kick but later said he merely banged it against his opponent's and didn't sustain any serious injury.

"Though I lost in the quarterfinals, I wanted to capitalize on the previous opportunity and do my best in every match," Lee said. "I am pleased with this bronze medal, and I think it's as valuable as a gold medal." (Yonhap)